The Ship Model Forum

Hey Roger.

Looking at all those blueprints, you're doing good. It's just great that some people do everything they can to help. Keep up the motivation!

Cheers
Jeroen

Hi Jeroen,
Thanks for the words of encouragement!!!!!!! Everything I learned from my Haggard build and then some will be incorporated in this one. The Haggard will benefit from the Bennett build as well. One hand washing the other so to speak.

As always, check back for more of the Bennett!!!!!!!

Hi Everyone,
I finally got around to hollowing out the base section of the stacks. I clamped my jig saw in the bench vise and I used a scrap piece of wood and a couple clamps to make a poor man�s scroll saw as can be seen in the photos; it worked great and didn�t cost me a dime!!!!!!
I built the first quad 40mm Saturday night and finished it Sunday morning except for the water cooling lines for the gun barrels. John Haynes uses copper wire for the cooling lines, but I�m going to see if I can find rubber hose for detailing a car model or maybe some small rubber O rings. One of the trunnions was broken from the base probably when it was De-molded, so I made a replacement from styrene sheet and rod stock. John�s guns come with PE as can be seen in the photos. I made the railing from .020 brass rod and .010 brass sheet scrap from John�s PE. I was going to use some of the ready ammo racks from the gun tub PE I got from John, but they were to big to use on the railing they are meant for the gun tub bulwark only. Check out the calling all Fletcher fans page for a couple photos of my trip to Boston with my Dad on Father�s Day to see the USS Cassin Young DD-793 and the USS Constitution.

As always, check back for more on the Bennett.

Roger DD-473/DD-555

Hey Roger,

The 40mm really is an awesome weapon!
Looks great, like the railing. Keep the updates coming.
How is the USS Haggard?

Cheers
Jeroen

Hi Jeroen,
Thank you for your kind words!!!!!

The Haggard's build is moving along at a snails pace at the moment. I have made a paper template of the hull repair that was made after she rammed and sunk the Jap sub. The thinest styrene sheet (.010)I have is too thick to conform to the shape of the hull. I need to get something thinner or I was thinking that maybe I can scribe a line in the hull to simulate the repair. The scribed line method might be the best way to simulate the repaired hull. What do you think?

I'm ready to glue the deck on, but I need to get a peice of styrene tubing for the hawse pipe. I want to drill the holes in the hull and get it fitted to the deck then the deck can go on. That will be a major step forward in the build. I guess I need to get my but in gear and do some work on her, I don't want to leave her behind to collect dust.

Check back soon for more on the Bennett and the Haggard!!!!!!!

Roger DD-473/DD-555

I think scribing or cementing something like aluminum foil or even paper to the hull would be the only thing that would look in "scale". Another thing I saw done somewhere, was to cut out a template and paint a couple of extra layers of paint over the "repair" area to build up some thickness.

Roger, at first I was thinking: use that thinest styrene and sanding it to satisfaction. But reading Rick's post about the template and extra layers of paint, that's really a good idea. Simple and effective imho.

Jeroen

Thanks You Guy's,

That's the way I'll do it for sure!!!!!!!!!! A couple extra layers of paint will be very easy as well!!!!!!!!!!!! When I get the tubing for the hawse pipe you will see some progress on the Haggard!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roger DD-473/DD-555

Hi Everyone,
I haven't done much work on the Bennett or Haggard the past couple months due to renovations taking place on my house. Thankfully I can say the house is ship shape once again and building of both of my Fletcher's will be underway as well.

Rick Davis never ceases to amaze me; he just gave me a couple photos from a blueprint of the Bennett and a couple photos of the Fullam a close sister of the Bennett. This is further proof that the aft torpedo crane on the Bennett was on the port side. The Bennett DD-473 and Fullam DD-474 were both laid down at the Boston Navy Yard (BNY) December 10, 1941 and were identical to each other at the completion of their builds. I feel very safe to use any photo of the Fullam to aid in the modeling of the Bennett. I have cut and trimmed all the pieces for the deck structures from CNC Models. I modified the 01 deck for the aft deck house and test fitted the parts. After a few adjustments I glued it together. I need to make the catwalk for the torpedo crane and around the torpedo launcher. After receiving the blueprint pics from Rick I see that the shape of the port side 40mm deck is incorrect. This will be an easy fix that I will perform after I make and attach the cat walk. Next I�m going to construct the gun director platform for the quad 40mm guns. The gun director platform is wider that the amidships deck house. It should be about the same width according to the blueprint and will be corrected before assembly. The deck structures from CNC are basic and require the modeler to make adjustments as required for the specific ship being built, but they are a great starting point and the material is fairly easy to cut and rework as needed.

I will construct the forward deck house and bridge last. I ordered a bridge casting from the Scale Shipyard and I'm not sure if it's the complete bridge structure or just the top, but my hull and fittings are not finished yet. I talked to Lee Upshaw just over a week ago and he told me then it would be about three more weeks. So by about the end of August I hope to have the remainder of my parts.

As always check back soon for more on the Bennett!!!!!!!!

Roger DD-473/DD-555

Hey Roger,
Good to see some progress.
Nice scratch-work.

Cheers
Jeroen

jeroen zuiderduin wrote:Hey Roger,
Good to see some progress.
Nice scratch-work.

Cheers
Jeroen

Hi Jeroen,
Thanks for checking in, and yes it's been a long time since I worked on my Fletcher's. The deck houses are not 100% scratch building. They come from CNC Models (http://www.cnc-models.com/), but if you don't have photos or a blueprint of the actual ship you're modeling it will be just like an OOB kit that has many flaws.

Thanks Again, and as always, check back for more on the Bennett!!!!!!

Roger DD-473/DD-555

Hi Everyone�
Here's some more progress photos. The biggest is the new but small building area I just created in my home office. I was using an area in my dad�s cellar because mine is damp and now my shipyard is more assessable to me.

We moved a book shelf and I got a 2' x 4' x 3/4 inch thick piece of what looks like maceinite from Home Depot. It's on top of a couple oak filling cabinets. It needs a couple screws into the cabinets to hold it in place and a back and side so my parts won't get pushed off.

Modifications to the aft deck house included removing the starboard side torpedo catwalk and cutting the angles on the decks forward edge. I also need to patch up the forward hatch on the starboard side because the Bennett doesn't have one in that location. I'm in the process of scaling the blueprint to make the torpedo crane catwalk. The deck area for the quad 40mm guns is about 1/4 inch in diameter to small and needs to move forward slightly to be accurate to the blueprint as well. The gun director house had a 1/4 inch in width removed also. The forward deck house will be modified along the way, but I need the bridge casting from Lee at the Scale Shipyard before I make any drastic changes to it. As always, check back soon for more on the Bennett!!!!!!!

Roger DD-473/DD-555

Hi Everyone,
Yesterday afternoon after I scaled the blueprint, I cut out the torpedo crane and launcher catwalks from scrap pieces of the .028 sheet from CNC Models. I used the thin sheet so I can add beams underneath for a more detailed look. The blueprint I�m working with was drawn in 1/96 scale, but due to the size I printed it, it is smaller than the original. I�m sure most of you guys have had to measure the print and adjust the size back to the scale you're working with. The Bennett is in 1/96 scale. I spent a lot of time on these parts but I�m very happy how they look. I am very grateful to have an actual blueprint of the Bennett thanks to Rick. My build would be just another incorrect build if it were not for him!!!!!

As always, check back for more on the Bennett!!!!!!!!

Roger DD-473/DD-555

Hi Everyone,
This is the forward deck house completed. I probably should have heated the walls to form the radius around the front end, but I did it the hard way. After I added gussets inside to help keep the sides square and add more surface area to strengthen the wall and glue joint at the bend. As always, check back for more on the Bennett!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roger DD-473/DD-555

Hi Everyone,
Lee at the Scale Shipyard sent me a couple photos yesterday of the bridge casting he made for me. He also told me he will be shipping out my order in less than a week!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm soooooooooo excited, I feel like a young boy waiting for Christmas morning to come!!!!!!!!!

As always, check back for more on the Bennett!!!!!!!!!!

Roger DD-473/DD-555

Very nice work

litvin70 wrote:Very nice work

Thanks for the kind words I really appreciate it!!!!!!!!!

Roger DD-473/DD-555

Hello Roger

a nice scratch work, very impressive ! good luck for the rest
best regards
Nicolas

LE BOSCO wrote:Hello Roger

a nice scratch work, very impressive ! good luck for the rest
best regards
Nicolas

Thanks Nicolas, I appreciate your comment!!!!!!!

As always, check back for more on the Bennett!!!!!!!
Roger DD-473/DD-555

Hi Everyone,
I have spent a lot of time scaling the centerline 40mm deck/bulwark shape for the Bennett. I used line drawings from Alan Raven's book and blueprints of the Bennett and the Sigsbee as well. Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I should have it cut out and glued together.

Here's the 1/96 scale drawing I made.

I'm not sure if it's 100% correct, but it's the best I can come up with from the prints I have on hand. I may have to adjust the size after my 5" gun housings come in from Lee.

As always, check back for more on the Bennett!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Roger DD-473/DD-555